Snake pastor dies from bite

A US pastor who handled deadly snakes during his sermons has died from a bite.

Pentecostal pastor Jamie Coots died on Saturday at his Kentucky home after being bitten by a snake in his Middlesboro church, Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name.
"When you handle serpents it’s one of the best feelings I’ve felt in my life," Coots’s wife, Linda, said. "It’s like a peace and a calm and a happiness, such a happiness and a joy."

Coots belongs to a unique sub-set of the religion that once they feel "God’s anointment overtaking them", they are protected from venomous snakes.

In the event of a snakebite, followers will not seek medical intervention, instead they believe praying to God will cure them.

Coots, who starred on the reality TV show 'Snake Salvation', had already lost a finger to a snake bite.

His wife kept the blackened fingertip in a jar telling Coots she had a "piece of you wherever you go".